Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Shubert Theater gets state money; is ready for renovation
  Gov. Pawlenty signed the 2006 bonding bill into law this morning in a ceremony in Elk River. The billion-dollar bill includes $11 million for the Minnesota Shubert Center in downtown Minneapolis.6:50 a.m.
• Making art accessible to the poor: Involve the neighborhood
  Several arts organizations argue that seeing great theater is sometimes as important for the spirit as food and shelter, and they feel that's especially true for people living in poverty. Pillsbury House Theater has embedded itself into the heart of an inner-city neighborhood and become a part of the community.6:54 a.m.
• Gov. Pawlenty announces re-election bid
  It was a busy day for gubernatorial politics Wednesday. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty formally announced his re-election campaign. Democrats launched a campaign against Pawlenty and other Republicans. And DFL gubernatorial candidate Becky Lourey announced her running mate.7:20 a.m.
• Republicans set to endorse Kennedy for U.S. Senate
  Minnesota Republicans begin their state convention Thursday night in Minneapolis. The main order of business on the first night is to endorse a candidate for U.S. Senate. There's no surprise who that will be -- U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, who has had the endorsement locked up for months.7:24 a.m.
• Summer theater in greater Minnesota
  June and July can be comparatively slow months in the Twin Cities arts scene, but outstate, things are blossoming. From Winona to Alexandria to Grand Marais, summer theaters offer something for just about every taste.8:25 a.m.
• Highway 36 scheduled to close April 2007
  The Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to shutdown part of Highway 36 in the Twin Cities next summer. Beginning next April, the stretch of 36 running between Highway 120, or Century Avenue, in North St. Paul and White Bear Avenue in Maplewood will close for reconstruction. The highway should reopen for single-lanes of traffic in mid-September and all four lanes should be reopened by November. MnDOT hopes that the shutdown will save time and money for the project. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Kent Barnard, Communications Specialist for MnDOT about the project.8:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Seminal Latin Label's Music Resurrected
  The founders of Fania Records didn't set out to change the course of Latin music, but that's just what they did. The label went out of business in the late 1970s, and the records have since become hard-to-find collector's items. Now, a Miami-based record label is reissuing that music.
• Batwoman Becomes a Lesbian
  This may break the hearts of 12-year-old boys. Or fascinate them. But in any case, Batwoman is coming out of the closet. D.C. Comics says the superhero will return to the comic pages as a lesbian. She has flowing red hair, knee-high boots and a tight black outfit. But an editor says she needed a "more unique personality." The company wants more diversity, though a critic on the Web says if they really wanted diversity, they'd make a superhero ugly.
• Home for Seniors Trades Privacy for Security
  At the Oatfield Estates assisted-living facility in Oregon, residents are tracked around the clock through a system of badges and sensors. It may sound creepy, but for residents with Alzheimer's or dementia, it allows them the freedom to roam while giving staff and loved ones the ability to check in at any time.
• Envoy: Afghan Riots Not Sign of Anti-Americanism
  Deadly riots sparked by a U.S. military truck crash this week are not a sign of anti-Americanism in Afghanistan, the U.S. ambassador in Kabul says.
• Khan Nuclear Network Survives Despite U.S. Efforts
  A.Q. Khan, a Pakistani engineer who bought and sold nuclear knowledge and supplies in the international black market, appears to be safe from prosecution. Pakistan isn't pursuing charges against him, and cases in Germany and Switzerland are languishing. Meanwhile, experts say Khan's network is still up and running.
• East Timor Violence Subsides After Days of Unrest
  The capital of East Timor, Dili, is reported calm following several days of looting and arson by rampaging gangs. The violence is the worst to hit the world's youngest nation since it got its independence from Indonesia seven years ago.
• U.N. Intervention Reassessed Since East Timor Violence
  The United Nations had viewed its 1999 intervention in East Timor as a success. That intervention allowed the installation of a democratically elected government in the tiny country. Recent violence has people questioning their assumptions about the intervention.
• Satellite Imagery Shows a Sinking New Orleans
  Parts of New Orleans are sinking faster than anyone previously thought. realized. Satellite imagery is showing sinking that previous ground level measurements missed.
• A New Appreciation for Hurricane Season
  Commentator Chris Rose lives in New Orleans and says that, while he's trying to keep a typically New Orleans attitude towards the first day of hurricane season, he has his doubts about whether anyone in the city can afford to be nonchalant.
• Northeast Insurance Rates Suffer from Hurricanes
  Homeowners in the Northeast have seen increases for insurance rates in the wake of hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast. Howard Kunreuther, a business professor at the University of Pennsylvania, talks with Steve Inskeep about what's behind the seemingly unrelated regions.
• Florida Citizens Shocked by Shifting Insurance Market
  As the hurricane season starts, many homeowners along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts are being rocked by soaring insurance rates. In Florida, more than two dozen insurers have left the state. From member station WGCU in Fort Myers, Fla., Russell Lewis reports.
• New York Court Hears Gay Marriage Arguments
  New York state's highest court heard arguments Wednesday in several gay marriage cases. It will be at least a month before the New York Court of Appeals decides whether gays and lesbians have the right to marry same-sex partners.
• Diplomacy Takes Center Stage at Iran Talks
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Vienna, Austria, to discuss Iran's nuclear program with U.N. Security Council partners. The meeting is part of a renewed emphasis on using diplomacy to confront Iran's nuclear activities. On Wednesday, the Bush administration offered to participate in direct talks with Iran if Tehran halted uranium enrichment.
• Core-Values Training Ordered for Military in Iraq
  The U.S. military is probing the alleged killings of unarmed Iraqi civilians by Marines in Haditha, Iraq. In an apparent response to the accusations, the top U.S. general in Iraq is ordering American commanders to conduct core-values training on moral and ethical standards on the battlefield.
• Too Short for Jail
  Richard Thompson was saved from prison by his height. He is five-foot-one. When he was sentenced for a sex offense, a Nebraska judge said she didn't think Thompson would survive in prison -- partly because of his mental ability, and partly because he's short. Instead of jail term, she gave Thompson 10 years of what's called "intensive probation." The sentence prompted a Nebraska woman to start a petition drive demanding the judge's resignation.

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